How to record a nesting attempt

This page explains what you should record when visiting a nest. For information about submitting data please refer to Demography Online (DemOn) guidance.

To collect the most useful information about a nesting attempt, it should be visited at regular intervals until no live eggs or young remain in the nest. If a nest is found at a later stage (with hatched young, for example), simply start monitoring from that point, but please only report nests that are being actively used. Any record consisting of two or more visits is of value and accurate details of eggs, young and the outcome of the nest are particularly useful.

The Code of Conduct must be followed at all times. 

Completing a nest record: step-by-step example

Below is an illustration of a nest being followed from nest-building to fledging, with observations being entered into DemOn.  For brevity, the example below only shows visits made every two weeks, not the recommended 4-5 days for passerine nests.

bluti_visit1.jpg	Visit 1 When first inspected on 15 April, the nest looks complete but there are no eggs. The date and time of visit are entered on the top row of the visit details section (right) and the nest code N4 is selected, as the nest is complete but unlined.	visit_1.jpg
bluti_visit2.jpg	Visit 2 Returning on 28 April, an adult Blue Tit flies off the nest, revealing a clutch of eggs. The date and time are recorded on the next row and a count of the eggs is entered in the 'Live' eggs column. Had the eggs not been clearly visible, an approximate count could have been entered, e.g. ‘13+’. Adult activity code FN is given to show that a sitting female had been on the nest.	visit_2.jpg
bluti_visit3.jpg	Visit 3 On 12 May, some of the eggs are hatched. A count of the chicks and the remaining live eggs are both put down (as there is no evidence that any eggs are dead). Status codes NA (chicks naked) and BL (chicks blind) are given to describe the appearance of the chicks. These codes help determine the likely hatching date.	visit_3.jpg
bluti_visit4.jpg	Visit 4 On 25 May, 11 young are still in the nest. Code FM (feathers medium) is used to describe their appearance because the primary feathers of the largest chick are 1/3 emerged from their sheaths. There is also an egg present but it must be dead as eggs hatch within a few days of each other, so 1 is added to the 'Dead' eggs column.	visit_4.jpg
bluti_visit5.jpg	Visit 5 By 8 June, the nest is empty, so an 'outcome' status code is used to indicate that the nesting attempt has finished. Here, the code NE is selected as the nest has every appearance of having fledged young successfully: complete and undisturbed and containing feather scales and droppings from large young.	visit_5.jpg